Psychiatry Has 6% Fewer Applicants Than Four Years Ago
On the day programs opened ERAS 2027 applications, 3,357 people had applied to psychiatry, against 3,558 at the same point of ERAS 2023. Programs interviewed 44% of the applicants who signaled them and 6% of those who didn't.
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That is a 6% decline, comparing the same day of each cycle. Of the 20 specialties with at least 300 applicants, three shrank; psychiatry had the mildest decline. Over full seasons, the change from ERAS 2023 to 2026 was less than 1%. By applicant type, the same-day change since ERAS 2023 was 0% for MDs, +19% for DOs and −27% for international graduates.
Below are five seasons of AAMC ERAS data for psychiatry: who applies, how many applications they send, how signals are used and how often programs interviewed applicants who did and didn’t signal them, split by MD, DO and international medical graduate.
The international-graduate share of applicants fell 6 points
In ERAS 2026, 4,135 people applied to psychiatry. The pool was 44.8% MD, 20.3% DO and 34.9% international graduates. 55.9% applied to no other specialty, a count that treats required preliminary and transitional years as another specialty.
Applicants are down 7.1% from the same day last year
| Season | All | MD | DO | Intl. grads | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERAS 2027so far, vs. same day of 2026 | ▼−7.1% | ▼−3.8% | ▼−3.0% | ▼−15.5% | ▼−15.6% |
| ERAS 2026vs. 2025 | ▼−2.5% | ▼−4.4% | ▼−1.6% | ▲+0.1% | ▼−7.9% |
| ERAS 2025vs. 2024 | ▲+4.5% | ▲+6.8% | ▲+7.3% | ▼−1.1% | ▲+3.5% |
| ERAS 2024vs. 2023 | ▼−0.4% | ▲+1.8% | ▲+16.0% | ▼−12.0% | ▲+2.9% |
The median applicant sends 55 applications, up from 53
By type in ERAS 2026: MDs 53, DOs 69, international graduates 38. The middle half of applicants sent between 30 and 82. The overall median is the third highest of 23 specialties covered here.
On the programs’ side, the median psychiatry program received 407 applications in ERAS 2026, against 531 in ERAS 2023.
Most applications still arrive without a signal
In ERAS 2027, 99% of psychiatry applicants used signals, and the median signaling applicant used 10.
At the median program, 13% of applicants had signaled it, up from 13% in ERAS 2026. The median program received 72.5 signals; the busiest tenth received 192 or more.
Signals per applicant by season: 2024: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2026: 10 · 2027: 10.
A signal multiplies the interview rate about 7-fold
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| Did not signal | Signaled | |
|---|---|---|
| All applicants | 6% | 44% |
| MD | 10% | 58% |
| DO | 4% | 46% |
| Intl. graduates | 0.7% | 14% |
At 98% of programs, signaled applicants were interviewed at a higher rate than those who didn’t signal.
These are last season’s rates. Track who is sending psychiatry interview invites this season.
A DO's signal returns 78% of what an MD's does; an international graduate's, 23%
An MD who signaled a psychiatry program was interviewed at 58% of the median program, the 10th lowest of 21 specialties with interview data. For DOs, psychiatry ranks the seventh most DO-friendly of 16.
An international graduate who signaled (14%) did better than an MD who didn’t (10%), one of the few specialties where that holds.
These are outcomes by group, not the effect of belonging to one. The groups differ in exam timing, visa needs and U.S. clinical experience, and none of that is controlled here.
The most common backup is family medicine, chosen by 23%
| Also applied to, ERAS 2026 | Share of applicants |
|---|---|
| Family Medicine | 23% |
| Internal Medicine (categorical) | 22% |
| Internal Medicine (primary care) | 13% |
| Internal Medicine (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 11% |
| Transitional YearPGY-1 year | 8% |
| Pediatrics | 7% |
Rows marked PGY-1 year are preliminary and transitional programs, which specialties that start at PGY-2 require. Categorical programs in another specialty are the real backup plan.